Today is Free Slurpee Day around Canada from 11am to 7PM you can go to any 7/11 in the country and receive a free Slurpee.
Here are some interesting facts about Slurpee’s.
Basic Slurpee Facts
• Slurpee got its name during a brainstorming session in May 1967: while drinking the product through a straw, someone commented it made a “slurp” sound and the rest is history
• Since its introduction, more than 6 billion Slurpee drinks have been sold, almost enough for every single person on the planet to have slurped
• 7-Eleven customers sip almost 13 million Slurpee drinks every month
• 7-Eleven sells enough Slurpee drinks each year to fill 44 Olympic swimming pools. Brrr!
• More than 40 per cent of all Slurpee drinks are sold during the sunny summer months of June, July and August
• In Canada, 41 per cent of Slurpee drinkers never mix their Slurpee drinks, 37 per cent always mix them, 21 per cent mix them some of the time
• In order to have the perfect consistency, each Slurpee machine has a compact refrigeration system that mixes syrup, carbon dioxide and water under pressure in a freezing chamber
• Slurpee drinks are served fountain-style at a frosty -2.2 degrees Celsius
• In 1994, 7-Eleven coined the term brain freeze. If you don’t know what a brain freeze is, go have a Slurpee and drink it fast. The scientific name for brain freeze is Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia
• A clear Slurpee cup was introduced in 1998 to allow customers to see their flavours and mixes. It was first introduced as a seasonal item and then became a mainstay
• 7-Eleven created a special spoon-straw so Slurpers wouldn’t miss the last drop of their Slurpee drinks, as well as an edible Slurpee straw
• Slurpee is a pivotal part of pop culture:
o ‘Googling’ Slurpee generates more than 5.8 million related search results
o Slurpee has its own Wikipedia site
o On average, someone “tweets” about Slurpee every two to five minutes
o In 2011, the nation-wide Slurpee giveaway was covered by 116 different Canadian media outlets
o Celebrities mention them, popular TV series create their own – even Obama has said he thinks they’re delicious!
• New, exclusive Slurpee flavours for 2012:
o Crush Lite Cream Soda – 30% fewer calories than regular Crush Cream Soda yet with the same great taste
o Citrus Charge Mountain Dew; Mountain Dew Whiteout
o Mountain Dew Code Red; Mountain Dew Blue Shock
• 7-Eleven hosts The Slurpee Cup soccer tournament, popular events in Winnipeg, Kamloops and Edmonton
• May 23, 2012 was the first ever SlurpFree Day – a chance to kick-off summer early
• Slurpee Day (7-Eleven’s birthday) is July 11th (7/11)
• Slurpee is growing globally. Other countries are on the hunt to chase the Slurpee Capital of the World title including Australia and Indonesia
• Exciting Canadian Slurpee news can be found at Facebook.com/slurpeecanada and http://www.slurpee.ca
History of Slurpee
• First created in 1959 by a Kansas hamburger-stand owner
• Using a car air conditioner, he created a piece of equipment that would freeze a carbonated soft drink and serve it in a ‘sherbet-like’ form
• In 1965, 7-Eleven began selling Slurpee drinks, then called Icee, in its U.S. stores
• Made its first appearance in Canada in 1969 when first store opened in Calgary
• For the 13th consecutive year, Manitoba has been crowned the Slurpee Capital of the World for having the highest average number of Slurpee cups sold per store in a region
Basic 7-Eleven Facts
• Was the first to operate 24 hours a day, sell fresh-brewed coffee in
to-go cups, sell pre-paid phone cards and have a self-serve soda fountain
• More than 470 7-Eleven stores operate in Canada
• 7-Eleven has opened 11 stores so far this year, six in Ontario
• To find our newest store closest to you, visit http://storelocator.7elevenstores.ca/
Get breaking National news
Manitoba – World Champs
According to 7-Eleven market manager, Amrit Goraya, when you are not from Manitoba you may find some of these “normal occurrences” unusual…when you live in Manitoba, you don’t even notice:
• Slurpee is the number one beverage served to women in Winnipeg’s maternity wards in the summer time
• Instead of giving flowers, people meet and greet friends and family at the airport by giving them Slurpee drinks
• When it’s -40 degrees Celsius outside, people are seen waiting for the bus, biking and skating with a Slurpee in hand
• Slurpee is the choice drink for fans watching outdoor football games when it’s -20 degrees Celsius
• Slurpee is often served at summer weddings
• People consume Slurpee drinks for breakfast year round
• Manitoba is famous for its “Slurpee Runs” – for example: a local factory requested 67 Slurpee drinks and had them delivered to everyone at work back at the factory
• Winnipeg airport will soon be able to keep visitors cool and refreshed as it’s opening a store there in fall 2012
• In June 2012, the Portage and Rouge store was re-opened after being closed due to redevelopment. Despite only being a few weeks old, it’s well on the way to claiming its original title as the #1 Slurpee store in the world
• As of July 2012, two of the top three Slurpee stores are in Winnipeg: Ness Avenue (#1), St. Mary’s (#3) with Airdrie, Alberta, snatching spot #2
7-Eleven History
1920’s
• An entrepreneurial ice dock manager at Southland Ice Company named Uncle Johnny Green adds milk, bread and eggs for the convenience of ice customers and stays open on Sundays – the convenience industry is born
• Southland Ice Company introduces Tote’m stores, the company’s first convenience outlets
• Tote’m begins selling gasoline as cars become more common
1930’s
• Tote’m stores operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, as open-front drive-ins
• Tote’m stores offer curb services, staples, canned goods, salt, cookie, candy and, in season, ice-cold watermelon
1940’s
• In 1946, hours of operation increase from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week and name ‘Tote’m’ is changed to 7-Eleven to reflect the new hours. The brand name is born
• 7-Eleven becomes the first convenience store ever to air a television commercial
1950’s
• 7-Eleven sells more watermelons than any other retail food organization in Texas – likely due to the melons being chilled in tubs of ice cold water
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 100th store opening
1960’s
• In 1960, 7-Eleven celebrates its 500th store opening and three years later, its 1,000th store opening
• Canada’s first 7-Eleven store opens in Calgary in 1969
• Slurpee is introduced at 7-Eleven
• 7-Eleven stores begin operating 24 hours to respond to increasing demand for access to convenience items
• 7-Eleven becomes the first retailer to introduce coffee in to-go cups – this paves the way for “dashboard dining”
1970’s
• Self-service gasoline is introduced on the parking lots of some 7-Eleven locations
• Countertop microwave ovens are installed in stores allowing for the preparation of chicken, French fries, pastries and sandwiches
• 7-Eleven introduces fountain soft drink beverages in Las Vegas
1980’s
• 7-Eleven introduces ATMs to its stores
• 7-Eleven in the US and Oscar Mayer sign an agreement to develop an exclusive blend of spices and flavours for the Big Bite®, 7-Eleven’s branded hot dog
1990’s
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 15,000th store opening
• 7-Eleven begins providing fresh and sandwiches, fruit, bakery and breakfast items
• 7-Eleven begins offering pre-paid services such as phone cards, pagers, telephones and cell phones
2000
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 20,000th store opening
2002
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 75th anniversary
2003
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 25,000th store opening
2004
• 7-Eleven offers Atkins and other controlled-carbohydrates products
2006
• 7-Eleven product featured in Donald Trump’s TV show, The Apprentice
• 7-Eleven celebrates its 30,000th store opening
2007
• 7-Eleven introduces its first herbal-extract enhanced coffee called Fusion Energy
• 7-Eleven introduces 3-D lenticular Slurpee cups as part of a promotion for the movie Spider-Man 3
• 11 stores in the U.S. and one in Canada are converted to Kwik-E-Marts to promote The Simpsons Movie, which captures international attention and becomes the biggest promotion in 7-Eleven’s history
• 7-Eleven introduces its proprietary INKED energy drink that targets the tattooed community
• The Wall Street Journal selects 7-Eleven’s Simpsons promotion as the number two best advertising campaigns in the U.S.
2008
• 7-Eleven launches its private-label brand, 7-Select, introducing 32 new products to stores, mostly snacks, chips, candy and cookies, and which grew to more than 300 by 2011
2009
• A state-of-the-art and environmentally in-tuned Commissary and Combined Distribution Center serving the New York City area with fresh foods daily opens in New York
• 7-Eleven store count exceeds 36,000 worldwide
• 7-Eleven introduces Iced Coffee in French Vanilla and Mocha flavours
• 7-Eleven announces its stores will have one of the largest in-store, out-of-home digital television networks in the U.S. and Canada. Some 190 million monthly viewers may see news, weather and interesting information about new products, specials and promotions. Installation expected to be complete by mid 2012
2010
• 7-Eleven teams up with Zynga® to offer virtual gifts in broadest product promotion ever
• 7-Eleven continues, after 83 years, to be the convenience industry leader, serving more than seven million customers daily in North America alone
• 7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto appears on television series Undercover Boss
2011
• 7-Eleven reaches a 40,000th-store milestone
Comments